


Into Oblivion

by stratataisen



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Character Death, Gen, M/M, The Calling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-01 23:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stratataisen/pseuds/stratataisen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carver wanted nothing more than to close his eyes, to drift off into a peaceful dreamless sleep and never wake up.  But he wouldn’t allow himself to.  He had to keep his eyes open; he had to wait just a little bit longer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into Oblivion

**Author's Note:**

> I almost couldn't get through writing this, I had to stop every once and a while to think happy thoughts or do something else. It made me sad but this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone though, so I HAD to finish writing it. Not sure if I liked how it turned out, I think I made Carver OOC but I'll let the masses decide. lol This was not beta'd so if you see anything wrong just let me know.

Carver wanted nothing more than to close his eyes, to drift off into a peaceful dreamless sleep and never wake up.  But he wouldn’t allow himself to.  He had to keep his eyes open; he had to wait just a little bit longer.  He had promised him he wouldn’t close his eye.  He had promised Nate that he would wait for him to get back.  So he forced himself to keep he eyes open, despite the pain, despite the exhaustion, despite the sweet embrace of death that he knew loomed ever so close.  

Nathaniel had gone off somewhere near the entrance of the small Thaig they had taken refuge in, arranging an appropriate farewell for the Darkspawn.  A small explosive gift Dworkin had given them before they left Vigil’s Keep.  Carver hated that he couldn’t help, but his body was far too battered and broken to be of use anymore.  If it wasn’t for the stone wall he was leaning back against for support he wouldn’t have been able to sit up like he currently was.  He looked down at himself, his Warden armor had long since been discarded leaving him in nothing but blood-soaked breeches and bandages.  Nate had done everything he could to stop the bleeding, but the wound in Carver’s side was too deep and all that Nate’s efforts did was delay the inevitable.  Not that the older man had faired any better.  A nasty run in with an ogre left the other Warden with several broken ribs, a cracked skull and, from what Carver could tell, a punctured lung.

Carver let out a sigh as he watched the darkened entrance of the Thaig for Nathaniel. As he sat there he couldn’t help but let his mind wander, thinking back to two weeks ago when he was stirred from his slumber by Nathaniel gently stroking back his hair.  The look on his handsomely aged face was carefully blank and Carver knew that meant something was wrong.  A good thirty years with the older man taught him what to look for when the rogue was trying to hide something, usually something that would make Carver worry.  This time though, he didn’t even have to ask what it was, he knew.  He had reached up and brushed his knuckles against the man’s cheek, giving him a small smile before telling him-

_“I’m going with you.”_

_The look of pure surprise on Nathaniel’s face would have been laughable in any other situation.  “Carver, no.  You can’t, it’s not your-“_

_“You’re right, it’s not my Calling and I don’t give a damn.  I’m still going with you.”  The younger man’s knuckles moved from his lover’s cheek down along his strong jawline to come to a stop at his chin.  Taking hold of it he pulled the other man down into a bittersweet kiss._

_Nathaniel tried again when their lips parted. “Carver…”_

_“Nate.  I’m going with you, and that’s final.”_

_A frustrated sound left the older man’s lips before mumbling. “Stubborn arse.”_

_“Insufferable prick.”  Came the quick counter from Carver and was happy to see that it earned him a small amused smile from the rogue._

_Nathaniel shifted down the bed so he could lay face-to-face with him, a hand reaching up to brush back graying black hair from his forehead.  “I just don’t want you throwing your life away when you still have a few good years left.”_

_“You know my own Calling wouldn’t be that far off, Nate, and if I have to die down in those Deep Roads fighting Darkspawn I would rather face that death by your side then all alone.”  Carver couldn’t help but smile as the words left his mouth.  Maker, when did he become such a sap?_

_Nate’s jaw clenched and unclenched several times as a variety of emotions played across his face. Suddenly his lips were on Carver’s and pinning him to the bed with a kiss fueled by passion and desperation.  The bed sank further as the rogue rolled on top of him, pressing their bodies firmly together.  He broke the kiss by rising up on his forearms, looking down at his younger lover. “I love you, Caver.”_

_“And I love you, Nathaniel.”  Carver smiled and wrapped his arms around the rogue’s neck, pulling him down to-_

“Carver?”

The voice speaking his name roused him from his memories.  He opened his eyes - damnit all, when had he closed them in the first place!? – and look up at the worried face of his lover.  Carver gave him a pained smile.  “I’m still here Nate, don’t worry.”

The tension in the rogue’s body visibly released in a sigh of relief as Carver spoke, and the worried expression turned into a soft smile.  As Nathaniel carefully made his way over to him, the younger of the two could tell that his lover’s injures were finally catching up to him.  An arm clutched again his ribs, a slight sway in his movements, a wheeze in his breath and paleness to his skin. 

“For a second there I thought-“

“Yeah.” Carver said, cutting him off. “I didn’t realize I had closed my eyes.  I’m sorry I made you worry.”  

“It’s alright.” Nathaniel said softly, smiling.  He slowly lowered himself down the stone wall taking a seat next to the younger man.

Carver moved closer once he was settled, an arm wrapping around the man’s waist.  An arm moved around his bare shoulders, pulling him closer, and a hand guiding his head to rest against Nate’s shoulder.  He leaned into the man’s side as much as he could without causing anymore pain or injury to either of them.  “So, did setting up the parting gift go well?”

“Well enough.  I had to rest more often than I would have liked because of my ribs, but the blighters will get a nasty surprise once they make it through the door.”

“Good.  A damn shame we probably won’t be around long enough to see it.”  Carver felt the older man’s arm tighten around his shoulder.  “We knew we were going to die down here…if we don’t, then….”

Nate kissed the top of Carver’s head.  “I know, I know.  That doesn’t making this any easier though….I don’t like seeing you hurt….and to know you’re going to die…” Nathaniel’s voice hitched in the many emotions he felt.

Carver just nodded and gave a weak squeeze around Nathaniel’s waist, silently telling him he felt the same.  They sat there in silence after that, the only things he could hear was the crackle of the slowly dying fire nearby and the soft wheezing of Nathaniel’s breath.  He could feel death start clawing at him again, Nate’s return had given him an extra little spark of life but that spark had since fizzled cold leaving him hanging on by nothing but threads.  He raised his head to look over at Nathaniel.  “Nate?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

Nathaniel gave him a small smile and a kiss.  “I love you too, Carver.”

Carver let his head slum back down to Nathaniel’s shoulder, as if it were too heavy to hold up any longer.  “Nate?”

“Yes?”

“I’m tired.”  He paused when he felt Nate’s body go ridged.  “I’m sorry..I just…I can’t...”

“Shhh, it’s alright, love.”  Nathaniel reached up with his free hand to stroke Carver’s cheek.  He turned and kissed the top of the younger man’s head, practically burying his face in the dark hair.  “You can rest now; you’ve more than deserved it.  I’ll be with you shortly, so wait for me on the other side of the Veil.”

A long relieved sigh escapes Carver and his body relaxes against the other man as the tension in his body is released.  His eyes slide shut and plunges his world into darkness.  He focuses on the gentle touch to his cheek, the warmth of the body beside him and the sad but sweet nothings Nate whispers against his head.  He could no longer make out what Nate was saying, sounds becoming too distant for him to hear, he knew that they were ones of love and sadness.  Soon, all too soon, death finally embraces him.

**Author's Note:**

> I think I'm going to write more for these two, the pairing has become a new OTP for me. And of course there's not a lot of fics out there for them, so I'm going to have to fix that. XD Will probably go back to the beginning and make this a small series for them....I just started at the end of it all....Shit, I thought I got the waterworks out of my system while I was writing this, where's that tissue box? ;-;


End file.
